Greenidge Will Run Sports Information

Returns to Cambridge

When Jim Greenidge arrives at Harvard in two weeks from Rensselaer Polytechnic to become the new Harvard Sports Information Director (SID), he won't feel unfamiliar with his new surroundings.

"I used to walk through Harvard Yard twice a day, everyday when I went to high school." Greenidge explains. The 34-year-old Northeastern graduate has many close ties to the area His family still lives in Boston, and his brother is head coach of the Cambridge Rindge and Latin football team. His cousin, Stanley Greenidge '68, was a star linebacker for the Crimson in the late studies.

The current SID of Rensselaer, Greenidge explains. "Every time I went to Boston with a Rensselaer team I went to Boston with a Rensselaer team it got harder and harder to leave." Thus the Harvard opening turned out to be the perfect job offer.

The Harvard Athletic Department those Greenidge from the list of nearly fifty applicants for the vacancy, created when the popular Joseph Bertagna '73, decided to quit the post for a career in publishing.

Greenidge spent ten years at Rensselaer building up an impressive reputation.

All his life Greenidge has made his own decisions. As an all New England sandlot baseball player. Greenidge passed up an offer from the Red Soy to attend college. He worked as a reporter, after college, for the Boston Herald American as the first Black reporter on the staff Once, while reporting the Boston University nets be climbed four stories on the outside of a building to get an exclusive interview with the students who had taken it over Later, he resigned when asked to cover a "BlackMan's beat.

His co-worker, are enthusiastic about his performance.

"Jim Greenidge has been the best SID we've ever had," said Rensselaer swimming coach. Clarence Leopard Working without any paid assistants. Greenidge manages to publicize all of RPI's varsity sports teams while also coaching the JV baseball team.

But RPI isn't Harvard, and Greenidge faces the challenge of adapting to a much larger and diversified athletic program Where RPI fields only one Division 1 team, men's ice hockey. Harvard has more than a dozen And RPI has never encouraged such popular Harvard pastimes as crew squash and fencing.

"The new sports like crew are what I feel most hesitant about night now. Greenidge said.

But the new director feels confident he can handle Harvard's idiosyncratic alumni. "My trademark is the fact I can get along with everybody."

In addition, Greenidge is adept at handling women's sports, even though RPI is only 25 percent female Before he had arrived, none of the four newspapers near RPI printed women's boxscores, now three of them do.

Greenidge will lead a completely revised Information Department. This seat's entire stall is leaving before next tall Bertagna will try to repeat the success of his famous. "Not the Boston Globe" Satire. After 10 consecutive years at 60 Boylston St. assistant director Patt Walsh is taking a maternity leave, and staff assistant Julie Rogers is quitting to devote her full attention to investments.

Greenidge plans no ideological changes. "I've got great respect for Joe Bertagna and I'm going to go by whatever Joe suggests, at least for a year." For example, Greenidge and Bertagna will work together in selecting the new Information staff.

Greenidge will need his enthusiasm when he starts his new job in June. For his first assignment he will have to cover one of the biggest events of the year--the Harvard-Yale REgatta. "I shudder when I think about it, but I'm looking for the challenge."